[alagnak]

Hazen, I've been offroad in your area a few times and I really, really think that you'll like the Nitto Terra Grappler (or Toyo Open Country A/T) best. ...

The 285/65-18 is 57-lbs and tucks under the wheel well. The 325/60-18 is 60-lbs, is beefy, and sticks out just a little. Either size should fit just fine. The only downside is that the weight will drop your MPG's closer to 12-mpg ...

http://www.clubarmada.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10796

Any middle ground here? Have an '08 18" (should note that the 2" PRG kit is in the mail)

I want to go a little bigger than stock, definitely an O/R capable tire, but 12mpg on 325's scares me a little.

During the week, they commute 90 miles/day (3 days/week). On weekends, theyre in the mountains (though usually nothing really extreme...lots of rocks) and tooling around the "roads" on and near the in-laws ranch (think sagebrush and rocks, and if it rains/snows, snotty mud). I'm willing to sacrifice some on-road tread life and some mileage, but to go to 12mpg would be killer. Love the look (and endorsements) of the Grapplers and Toyos.

 

[alagnak]

Thanks for the info all...

Down to Cooper Discoverer STT (in 305/60 or 325/60) or the BFG AT's.

Leaning towards the Coopers, as they look to be better in Mud and snow, which is mostly what I'll encounter off-road. Both seem to be "decent" on-road.

Question is...(and I read a lot of old posts but didn't see a definitive answer).

Cooper lists 8.5-11 as approved rim width for the 305/60 and 9-12 for the 325. Will the extra 0.5"-1" be a safety issue with the stock 18s? You guys running 325/60/18 grapplers, etc, are you on stock rims?

Both of these are pretty pricey (particularly compared to the Grapplers, which get great press and endorsement, and were def. on the list, but I'm just looking for something a little more aggressive), so I'd prefer not to add new rims to the bill, too.

 

[alagnak]

Cooper Discoverer STTs all the way. I am on my third set. Had em on my old Sierra Denalil. Have em on my 2008 Titan Pro4x and just got another set for my 1998 Z71 that I keep at my house up north.

This is what I went with...in 305/60/18. The only less-than-good review point was ice performance, but what non-studded tires perform very well on ice, after all?? Snow and Mud were main concerns, and looks like these will be good on former, great on latter.

Just need to get someone to throw the mini-lift on, and then the tires should be in by mid-week next week. Just in time to work them out on a Thanksgiving weekend pheasant hunt.

Will post before/after pics when it's done. Thanks for all the great advice, all.

 

[alagnak]

Out of curiosity, why 305 instead of 325?? Looking forward to the pics , awesome choice!!!!

Mainly, just chickened out

Yours, and other, success stories notwithstanding with the stocker rims, when it came down to it, just decided to stay as close to 8" rim width as possible. The Cooper specs list 8.5-11 for the 305 and 9-12 for the big guy, so...there you go.

FWIW, mgr at Discount tire said 0.5" won't bother him at all and 1" wouldnt be a big deal, either.

Just wimped out, really...having a 1-week old around just made me err on the side of safety, however slim the margin.

These things aren't cheap (~300/apiece), but I really like the look/specs. Can't wait to get them on.

 

[alagnak]

Thanks for sharing, great article except for this remarkHa ha, yea right, "stick with" the Contis. Like that's going to happen - that's funny

I laughed at that, too...those things don't "stick" to anything.

 

[alagnak]

Out of curiosity, why 305 instead of 325?? Looking forward to the pics , awesome choice!!!!

Got the Coopers on...couple pics below from up by the ranch (apologize for the quality...only had the phone camera along)...Pops was right, probably should have went for the 325's, think they would have "filled in the space" better, though I like that you can still "see the lift" with these, and wife is happy that I didn't exceed the stock rim width. Maybe next time.

So far, love them. Great in the dirt and light mud and have worked great in the snow the last couple days here. On the drive into the cabin, the contis would fill up with mud less than halfway in. These cleared like champs. Highly recommended thus far.

 

[alagnak]

I need some new tires on my 06 Armada. I had my wife price some at Costo earlier this week and they quoted her about $850 for a set of Dueler Revo 2's installed. That's a pretty sweet price for those tires, so I think I'll be pulling the trigger on a set.

That's a good deal, I'd go for it personally. I just replaced my Cooper STT's with the Revo2's (when my wife took over the Armada) and we've been very happy, up to and including some sloppy mountain driving. They're wearing very well, very quiet (certainly compared to the Coopers).

Off-topic for this particular post - but I also put Nitto Trail Grapplers on my Tundra at about the same time. Awesome tire if you're off-pavement with any regularity at all and a nice split-the-difference between the Mud Grappler and Terra's.